While Tesla's Robotaxi fleet has been hitting the streets in the United States, a rival autonomous taxi company already has plans to expand its service across the pond.
What's happening?
According to Sky News, Waymo may bring its service to London in 2026. It would be the first city in Europe to receive the self-driving cabs.
While a representative for the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, which represents taxi drivers in London, told Sky News that driverless taxis are a "gimmick," millions of customers in the U.S. have used Waymo's service since its launch.
In a statement to Sky News, Waymo said it "provides hundreds of thousands of rides every week in the U.S., and shared in May of this year that we've provided over 10,000,000 fully autonomous rides to the public."
Sky News reported that Uber and Wayve, a UK-based company, are planning to test out autonomous vehicles in the city next year, too. Tesla previously said it had plans to bring its Robotaxi service to London as well, but there haven't been any updates.
Why is Waymo's progress important?
Waymo, like Tesla, has an all-electric fleet. Waymo's website said its fleet prevents an estimated 315 tons of carbon dioxide pollution with every 250,000 trips. The company currently operates in five U.S. cities with plans to expand in 2026, creating real competition for EV giant Tesla.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company expected half the U.S. population to have access to its autonomous ride-hailing service by the end of 2025. So far, the driverless service is only available in Austin, Texas, on a limited basis. There have also been reports of safety concerns since its launch.
In addition to trailing behind Waymo in the driverless taxi race, Tesla also experienced plummeting sales this year. Sales in Europe slumped as the company faced competition from other EV automakers, per CNBC. However, Tesla did report a 12% revenue increase in the third quarter.
What's being done about autonomous vehicles?
According to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. government has proposed ideas to speed up the development of autonomous vehicles. By 2035, experts predict that fleets of self-driving ride-hailing vehicles will operate in 40 to 80 cities worldwide.
The expansion of all-electric fleets will help keep pollution out of the atmosphere. Per the Environmental Protection Agency, planet-friendly vehicles produce zero tailpipe pollution and are much more efficient than gas cars.
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Going electric is also a solid financial investment in the long run. Upgrading to an EV can save drivers hundreds of dollars on gas and maintenance per year.
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